St Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren is consecrated for use on December 2, 1697. The previous Cathedral burned in the Great London fire of 1666. Just before the fire, King Charles II hired Sir Christopher Wren to update the Cathedral. They kept many of the updates previously presented by Wren in the new […]

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to move to the back of a bus and give her seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. I had heard the story that Rosa Parks refused to move to the back because she was tired. In actuality that is not the whole story. […]

The impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase begins. Samuel chase gained the Supreme Court Justice chair in 1796. As a Federalist, he adamantly disapproved of Jeffersonian Republicans. He was not shy about sharing those views especially after the Republicans gained the congress majority. President Thomas Jefferson started the impeachment proceedings and the House […]

In 1775, Sir James Jay invented invisible ink. During the United States Revolutionary War, George Washington wanted a way to pass messages without the British reading them. While other ways of secret messages existed, Washinton wanted something new. The British knew these other ways too. Sir James Jay was the brother of an American Patriot […]

In 1785 the Confederation Congress of the United States of America and The Cherokee People signed the Treaty of Hopewell. This agreement, signed at Hopewell Plantation, shortly after the Revolutionary War established a small peace between the two groups. While the Cherokee signed on November 28, other Native American Tribes came to sign the Treaty […]

In a bid to take back land the Europeans attempted to throw Muslims out of Jerusalem. These attempts were called the Crusades and done under a religious flag. The first crusade occurred in the 11th century on the behest of Pope Urban II. Pope Urban II arose to the papacy in a time of controversy. […]

In 1764 France expelled the Jesuit Order. The official name of the Jesuit Order is the Society of Jesus. A Spanish soldier turned priest created the order to help win people back to the Catholic faith. He chose to use education as the pathway to complete his goals. Through the Jesuits set up universities, charities, […]

In 1744, Austrian forces pillaged and killed the Jews of Prague. The history of the Jews has been filled with violence purported on them. 1744 in Austria was another one of those times. At this time, Maria Theresa ruled. Biased against the Jews, she ordered them expelled in 1744. After much convincing, five years’ worth, […]

Before the British colonies became the United States of America, Justus Falckner became the first Lutheran pastor ordained in America at Philidelphia. At 31 years old, Falckner had not planned to become a Lutheran pastor. Though he had trained as a pastor, Falckner had come to America as a land surveyor and agent. A friend, […]

In 1165 Pope Alexander III returned to Rome from exile, but it did not last long. He went back into exile in 1166 when the Emperor returned to Rome. Before becoming Pope Alexander III, Rolando Bandinelli studied law and theology. He began the line of lawyer-popes that lasted until Pope Innocent III, who reestablished and […]